Cat's in the Cradle
by cottoncandylover11
Summary: Barty Crouch looks through his memories to figure out where he went wrong with his son. Little does he know, he will discover something he doesn't want to know. A songfic to Cat's in the Cradle by Henry Chaplin.


**A/N: My first songfic. Mainly, it's a break from my homework. Cat's in the Cradle came on and I got inspired. Enjoy. The song is in italics.**

**Disclaimer: If I was JKR, I wouldn't be doing homework and therefore wouldn't need a break to write a songfic with. Harry Chaplin owns Cat's in the Cradle and J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.**

Barty Crouch couldn't figure out what happened. What had gone wrong? How could his son be a Death Eater? **His son!** Him, Barty Crouch. Head of the department that tracked down Death Eaters! "Where did it all go wrong?" Barty exclaimed to his shocked wife.

"I think you know the answer to that, Barty," his wife, Martha replied coolly.

"Oh do I? Well what is it?"

"I'm not going to tell you. Figure it out yourself, Barty. Try looking at your memories." Taking his wife's advice, Barty leaned forward into his pensive. Maybe his son's life would clear things up.

…

"_My child arrived just the other day_," Barty Crouch told his partner. "_He came to the world in the usual way_."

"That's great Barty. How is Martha doing? Shouldn't you be home with her?" Dirk Creswell, his partner asked.

Barty rolled his eyes. Dirk always sacrificed his career for his family. He would never amount to anything this way. Barty, on the other hand, was on his way to becoming a personal adviser to the head of the department. "I can't afford to take any time off. Carter is considering me for a promotion. I want to be with her, but you know how it is, _there were planes to catch, and bills to pay_. I have to be at the Ministry."

…

_He learned to walk while I was away._ "Are you sure you have to go to France this week?" Martha whined. "BJ is progressing so fast. He'll take his first steps soon."

"I'm sorry, darling, the vice-head of the department is retiring soon. I can't afford to miss this trip if I want to be promoted."

"Alright Barty, if you're sure. I just don't want you to miss this."

Barty kissed his wife on the cheek and his son on the head. "Don't worry about it."

...

_And he was talking before I knew it _"BJ said his first word yesterday," Barty boasted to his boss, Mr. Carter.

"Congrats, Barty," said the man, offering his hand. Barty shook it eagerly. "The first word is a big moment. You don't want to miss ones like that." Barty nodded but didn't reply. He had been here, at the office, trying to impress his boss by working overtime.

...

_And as he grew, He said, "I'm gonna be like you, Dad." _"Why can't you come to career day at school, Dad?" Barty Jr. demanded, his lip quivering. "Everyone else's parents are coming." Barty sighed. He had explained to Barty why he couldn't go to his stupid career day a thousand times. It wasn't even real school anyway. It was a way to prepare magic children for Hogwarts.

"Because I have to work, Bart. My job is very important and the Ministry can't spare me like they can Mr. Creswell or Mr. Bagman." Barty ruffled his son's hair. "I'm sorry bud."

"But I want you to come cause _I'm gonna be like you._ And I want the others to know what you do."

"I'm sorry Bart. I just can't swing it."

...

_And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon_

_Little boy blue and the man in the moon_

_When you comin home, dad, I don't know when, _

_But we'll get together then, Son,_

_You know we'll have a good time then._

...

"_My son turned ten just the other day._" Barty told his boss.

"Ten? Wow. Wasn't he just a year when you got promoted? Wasn't that a long time ago? What did you get him for his birthday?"

"What every boy wants. A Quidditch set."

"Did he like it?"

"Of course." When his boss left, he sighed. Of course Bart liked his Quidditch set.

...

Barty wished he could have seen him use it. _He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play._ _Can you teach me to throw?" _

_I said, "Not today, I got a lot to do" Carter_ was retiring soon and Barty was in line for his position. He had to go to his office.

"_He said, "Don't okay" And then he walked away but his smile never dimmed, and said "I'm gonna be like him, yeah. You know I'm going to be like him"_" Martha said. "But it was clear he was disappointed. You could try to be around more often, Barty. Especially on his birthday."

"I'm sorry dear. The promotion has put a lot of strain on me. I'll be around more often now."

...

_And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon_

_Little boy blue and the man on the moon_

_When you coming home, dad, I don't know when, _

_But we'll get together then, Son,_

_You know we'll have a good time then._

...

"Mr. Crouch! How's your wife?"

"Just fine. Thank you, Perkins," Barty replied to his assistant.

"Good, and how's Bart. We were in the same house at school ya know."

"_Well he came from Hogwarts just the other day._ _So much like a man I just had to say,_ _"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"_ We had a nice long chat about school and such. It was great to see him."

"That's just great Mr. Crouch. Here's that report you wanted on Dragon scale prices."

"Thank you, Perkins." Barty said. Perkins nodded and left. Barty sighed. His son hadn't really spoken with him. He had been busy. What had really happened was, _He shook his head, and he said with a smile_ _"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the floor keys_. _See you later, can I have them please?"_

...

_And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon_

_Little boy blue and the man on the moon_

_When you comin home, Son, I don't know when, _

_But we'll get together then, Dad,_

_You know we'll have a good time then._

...

_I've long since been promoted, my son's moved away. I flooed him up just the other day. I said "I'd like to see you if you don't mind."_ It had been a long time since he had seen his son. He wanted to catch up with him. In the terror of these days, you didn't know if you would have a chance tomorrow.

_He said "I'd love to Dad, if I could find the time. You see my new jobs a hassle, and the boys need the floo. But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad, it's been sure nice talking to you."_ After Barty left the fireplace, he hurried out the door. He was going to be late for his meeting with the Dark Lord. The mark was already burning more, signaling the Dark Lord's anger.

"_And as I hung up the floo it occurred to me. He'd grown up just like me, my boy was just like me_." Barty Crouch Jr. had learned from his father's absence to put something else before family. But unlike his father, that something was the dark arts, not his career.

Yes, it was his absentee father who caused his son's ascent to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named inner circle. And Barty would pay dearly for it. He was sure.

...

_And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon_

_Little boy blue and the man on the moon_

_When you comin home, Son, I don't know when, _

_But we'll get together then, Dad_

_We're gonna have a good time then._

...

**Well that's it. I hope you enjoyed it. Review. But be nice. Remember, its my first one.**


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